An Unexpected Journey
by Jyuoa
Summary: When a doubtful, un-confident Trainer crosses paths with an injured Pokémon, she embarks on her first journey away from home in order to reunite him with his trainer. As the two bond, she regains her lost confidence and calls on some of her Pokémon to help ensure a happy ending for everyone.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so this is my first time writing for this fandom. Even though I've watched Pokémon for years, I never felt the inspiration or ideas to write for it until now. Also, I apologize if this first chapter is too short, but at the time of writing, I wanted to keep the introductions short.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the characters associated with Pokémon aside from my OC.**

A lovely brunette-haired girl wearing a violet sundress and white sweater was picking berries in the forest. She paused briefly, turning around, having heard something rustle in the bushes. Knowing something was out there, she quickly picked up the basket of berries and walked as fast as she could out of the forest. She'd left her bike at home this time, but then, she never rode it much anyway.

"I'm home, Mom."

"Oh, Lilly. I didn't even hear you come in."

"I brought some more berries."

"You know, I wish you'd be more careful out there, Lilly." Her mother said. "You never bring your Pokemon out with you. What if one suddenly leaps out and…"

"Mom, I'm fine. Besides, I still haven't decided what to do yet. I love them, but becoming a great trainer doesn't exactly sound interesting." Lilly said. "Not to mention my starter's still in the next town, getting a check-up. Even if there is a big world out there to explore, what would I do with my life?"

"It wasn't easy for me either." Her mother said, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. "But we all find our own path eventually. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"Always, Mom." Lilly said. She went to her bedroom. She looked at a flyer on the table, then looked at a couple of Pokeballs that were sitting next to it. She picked one up, attempting to throw it. She sighed, putting it back down. "Who am I kidding? I'm not cut out to be a trainer."

She decided to go for a walk, hoping it would clear her mind. She put her shoes back on and headed outside. She walked around for quite a bit, quietly observing the various Pokemon in the grazing in the fields or flying overhead. She finally sat down near a tree stump. _If only the path would come to me as easily as Mom said it would._ Suddenly, she heard a sound in the bush. She looked at it, wondering if it was similar to what she heard earlier. Then she remembered as she was walking, she heard something crash.

She carefully approached the bush, not wanting to scare whatever Pokemon was hiding or stuck in it. "Are…Are you okay?"

She heard an almost quiet sound in response. She slowly moved away some of the branches, being careful not to touch the thorns. She let out a small gasp. Inside, a small yellow Pokemon with a lightning bolt-shaped tail seemed to be stuck. And it had small bruises and scratches covering its body.

"Oh, no. You're hurt." She looked around. She saw Officer Jenny coming down the road. Making up her mind, she turned back to the injured Pokemon. "Don't worry, I'm going to get help." Then she stepped out onto the main road. "Officer Jenny!"

"What's wrong?" She asked, stopping her vehicle, noticing Lilly's distress.

"There's an injured Pokemon stuck in that thorn bush." Lilly told her. "If we try to move it without cutting it free first, it could get hurt itself more."

"Don't worry, I'll do what I can to help." Jenny told her.

"I brought some potions and medicines in my bag." Lilly added, holding up her backpack.

"Okay, show me where you found him." Lilly quickly led her to the bush. Jenny examined it.

"This could be a tough one." Jenny said. "Luckily, I think I have just the thing that can help. Sandslash!" She tossed a Pokeball and Sandslash appeared.

"Whoa. I've never seen a Pokemon like that." Lilly said. She quickly scanned it with her Pokedex.

"Sandslash, cut the branches, but be careful not to hurt the trapped Pokemon." Jenny told it. It nodded and before they knew it, it had managed to free it. Carefully, Lilly lifted the injured creature out of the bush, according to Jenny's directions exactly. Then, she opened her bag and picked up one of her potions, spraying it onto the wounds. Then, as if by magic, some of them started to heal right before her eyes.

"That's amazing." Lilly said.

"We need to get it some medical attention." Jenny said.

"But the center's too far from here." Lilly said. She got a slightly better look at the creature. She felt that she recognized it from…somewhere. It was really vague, but sort of familiar at the same time. But she also knew she couldn't risk it getting hurt by something else, especially in this condition.

Then she got an idea. "Could I bring him to my home for rest? It's only a couple miles from here."

"Well, I guess that'd be okay. As long as he gets the proper rest, he should return to normal soon. But promise that you'll take him to a center when you can."

"Will do." Lilly promised. "Thank you, Officer Jenny."

"Just doing my job." She said. And with that, she took off. Lilly looked at the little Pokemon. It appeared to be sleeping.

"How to move you when you're asleep?" She wondered. She knew it was an electric type because of the tail's shape. She looked around for anything in her bag that she could use. Then she found a small, empty basket. Careful not to disturb its sleep, she pulled out a small, soft pillow and a couple of blankets to line the basket. Then she slowly placed the Pokémon inside, being careful while folding the second blanket over its body.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you stay safe." Lilly whispered. She started walking back toward home, being careful not to disturb its sleep.

 **A/N: Well, that's chapter one. Please let me know what you think. I should have the next chapter up by Friday evening. If not, it will be up Saturday.**


	2. Chapter 2

The little creature woke up. The first thing he noticed was that it was being carried in a basket, although he did feel warm and comfortable in it. Then he felt that he recognized this path and this road. Then he realized someone was humming and took a little peak outside. He was being carried by a human girl that looked vaguely familiar. She set the basket down by a rock and sat down by the river.

Lilly pulled out a couple of bottles and filled them with water for the trip home. She knew it was connected to a freshwater spring, so it was safe for drinking. She then placed them into a pocket of her backpack.

The creature's ears twitched as he listened to her song. She checked her supplies, making sure she had some Pokémon food on hand. Then, she looked at the basket. The creature ducked back into it. "Oh." Lilly realized he was awake.

She carefully approached it, trying not to scare him off. "It's okay. You're safe." Lilly told it. "Do you remember what happened? You were caught in a thorn bush. Officer Jenny and I did everything we could to rescue you." The creature tilted his head, as if trying to determine if she was telling the truth. "Can you walk or…" It crawled out of the basket, then tripped over one of its hind feet.

"Are you alright?" It looked embarrassed and a little scared. Lilly got an idea. "After what you've been through, you're probably hungry, right?" She opened a can of Pokémon food with a lot of effort. Then she poured some of it into an empty bowl. The Pokémon walked up to it and began munching on it. He smiled at Lilly, appreciating it.

"You're welcome." Lilly said. She sat down nearby. When he was finished, he walked over to her. "You know, it's a good thing I managed to help. We may not have gotten you out of those thorns."

"Pi?" He seemed to be looking for something or someone.

"Did you get separated from your…" Lilly paused, trying to think of the right term to use. "Did you get separated from your partner?" She finally settled on.

"Pika." He sounded sad. She felt guilty for making him feel that way and knew she had to do something to help.

"Don't worry. As soon as you've fully recovered, I'll help you find them again." Lilly said. "Besides, my motto is when I make a promise, I keep a promise. You can trust me."

"Pika!" That cheered him up, as he leapt into Lilly's arms. "Pikachu."

"Anytime." Lilly looked at him. "You look kind of familiar. Do you mind if I look you up?" He indicated that he didn't mind. Lilly gently placed him down, then took out her Pokedex. "Okay, Pikachu, right?"

"Pika-chu." He confirmed.

"Okay, come on. We're headed to my place so you can rest better. Just promise you won't shock me."

"Pika!" Lilly quickly picked up her supplies, then picked him up and carried him in her arms as she walked toward home. Neither of them said anything for a while. "Well, since it looks like we're going to be spending some time together, we should probably get to know each other." She said when they were only a few blocks from her house. "My name is Lilly."

"Pika?" Lilly nodded slightly.

She paused, deciding to sit down on a rock. Pikachu sat next to her. "I have a brother, but he's away often. I really miss him sometimes. But, he knows what he wants at least, I admire that much. My Pokémon journey hasn't really started yet."

"Pika-Pika." Pikachu patted her on the arm, as though to let her know it was okay.

"You're right, I'll figure it out eventually." Lilly said. "Though I often worry about my mother being alone if I do go. I love her and all, but my brother and I are all she has." Lilly pulled a small picture out of her pocket. _I wish you were here. Maybe you could help me._ It was a picture of her and her whole family. Pikachu got a quick look at it.

"We should get going." Lilly said. "It's almost sundown and Mom worries if I get home late." Pikachu looked at her, wondering if she was okay. "I'm fine, Pikachu. But thanks for listening." She bent down slowly and hugged him, careful not to squeeze him too tightly. He jumped into her arms. Then, they headed the last few blocks to her house.

"Pika?" Lilly looked down. Pikachu looked concerned.

"Alright, maybe I'm not okay," She told him. "But I can't give up on believing that things will get better. Besides, right now, my priority is to make sure you stay safe until we can find your friend."

"Pikachu."

"We'll be at my house soon. Hopefully Mom will be okay with letting you spend the night."


	3. Chapter 3

It was almost dark by the time she entered the house. "Mom?"

"Lilly, I was getting worried. Where were you?" Lilly gently set Pikachu down by her feet, then turned to her Mom and told her the whole story.

"Oh, wow. The poor thing must miss his owner." She said as soon as Lilly was finished. Then she looked at him. "You know, something about this Pikachu seems familiar." With no warning, it jumped into Mom's arms. Lilly smiled, trying not to laugh at her mother's surprise.

"Pikachu!"

"It's like he knows you." Lilly said.

"Hmm…maybe you should visit Professor Oak in the morning. I think he got a nurse to look after some of the other Pokémon there, so you can make sure he's okay."

"I did promise Jenny I'd have the medics look at him." Lilly pointed out.

"Meanwhile, why don't you introduce him to some of your Pokemon? I'm sure he'd like to see some friendly faces. I'll arrange a call for tomorrow. I'm sure that an old friend of yours would like to see you, too."

Lilly smiled. It's been far too long since they'd last spoken. "I'll come right back as soon as they're done looking him over." She told her. "Let's go, Pikachu."

"Pika!" He followed Lilly up to her bedroom. He seemed amazed by it. She had pictures of some of the "cute" ones taped to her wall. She also had a poster featuring an Eevee sitting with Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon.

Lilly picked up a Pokeball from her table. "Well, my starter's still being looked after by Nurse Joy in the next town over, but this is the first one I caught while picking berries one day." She threw the ball into the air. "Come on out!"

There was a small burst of light, then a cute little brown fox-creature appeared. "Eevee!"

"Eevee, this is our guest. He's been separated from his partner and we're going to help reunite them." Lilly told her. Eevee smiled, agreeing with her. She turned to Pikachu.

"Eevee." She nodded to him.

"Pikachu." The two of them gently bumped foreheads.

"I should warn you, she can be a bit of a handful sometimes." Lilly said. "She's also super-playful, but also the sweetest, kindest friend you'll meet."

Eevee nudged a blue, rubber ball toward Pikachu. Pikachu caught on quickly and gently rolled it back to her. They went back and forth like this for a while, eventually turning into a game of catch. Lilly smiled as she watched them play together. It reminded her of when she caught first her.

Flashback: Lilly was in the forest, picking berries from a small bush, when she heard something approach. She turned around and noticed an Eevee. "What are you doing way out here?"

"Eevee."

"Right, I forgot you don't communicate like we do." Lilly said. Just then, two more Eevee appeared. "Oh, I see. You come out here together often?"

"Eevee!" The first Eevee said. The other two looked slightly cautious. The first one bounded forward. Lilly reached out to pet it, then it ran off.

"What in the…" Then Lilly noticed her basket was missing. "Hey, you three come back here!" She followed them into the middle of a field. "Hey, come on. I picked those to help Mom with her baking for the Autumn Festival." Suddenly, with no warning, Eevee rolled one of the berries to her. Lilly had smiled. This Eevee sure seemed like a playful one.

"Did you want me to follow you?" Lilly asked.

"Eevee!" It smiled at her. She found herself smiling back. One of the other Eevee seemed to disprove, but the third one was also smiling and ran over to them. Lilly spent most of the rest of the afternoon playing with the two of them. At one point, she noticed the other one alone.

"What's up with that one?" She wondered aloud. The second Eevee then ran off suddenly. Lilly recovered her basket, and then followed after it, with the other two Eevee joining her. Eventually, they stopped by the edge of the river. The Eevee that had run off was running her front paw under the water. She seemed almost fascinated by it. Then, it glanced in their direction. The other two Eevee approached her and began having a conversation, from what Lilly could tell.

Lilly sat down on a rock near the river. Suddenly, with no warning, she was splashed. "Hey!" She looked up. To her surprise, the Eevee they'd chased out to the river, had splashed her!

"Eevee?" The other two did the quadruped equivalent of a facepalm.

"Wow, you really like water, don't you?" Lilly said.

"Vee! Eevee!" It allowed Lilly to pet her behind the ears.

"You'll probably become a water-type someday." Lilly told her. They spent the rest of the day bonding. Then Lilly checked her watch.

"Oh, wow. I'm going to be late if I don't get going."

"Eevee!" She glanced down. The first one was looking at her. "Eevee?"

"Would you like to stay with me?" Lilly asked.

"Vee!" Then she looked back at the other two. Then, Lilly noticed a faint resemblance between the three of them. _They're all sisters._ She realized.

"I'm not going to split you up." Lilly said. "You could all come home with me."

"Eevee!" Two of them agreed.

"Vee!" The other one was looking at her, as though telling her to bring it. "Eevee!"

"Are you challenging me?" Lilly asked. It nodded. Lilly glanced at her pocket and had realized she'd left her only Pokémon in her room. "Uh-oh. How do I…"

"Eevee!" She glanced down. One of the other two Eevee had stepped forward. "Eevee! Eevee!"

"Are you saying you want to fight for me?"

"Eevee!"

"Are you okay with this?" Lilly asked the one who'd asked to battle her.

"Vee!"

"Okay, keep in mind, this is an unofficial battle." Lilly told everyone. "You ready, Eevee?" The first one jumped in front of her, facing the opposing Eevee. The third one sat down on a rock behind Lilly.

"Eevee!"

"Okay, let's see what you've got." Lilly said. The challenger lunged forward, but Eevee dodged in time. Lilly quickly scanned Eevee's moves with her Pokedex. "Eevee, tackle!" It managed to land the attack, sending the other Eevee back into a tree.

"Vee!" It seemed surprised by the other one's strength. Suddenly, it rushed forward and knocked the other off her feet with Quick Attack.

"You okay?" Lilly asked.

"Eevee!" She got to her feet quickly.

"That was a good move. I have no doubt you're all strong in your own ways." Lilly said. "Let's see…" Eevee gave her a look, indicating she knew what to do. "Okay, Double Team!" Soon, the other Eevee found herself surrounded. "Tackle!" Eevee tackled her again. "Okay, that's enough!" She told her. The other Eevee got to her feet.

"Eevee!" Lilly grabbed took out one of her Pokeballs, one of the few items she'd remembered to carry, and threw it at her. She was caught instantly. "Now that was one of my harder catches." She recalled. Then, she'd tossed two more of them at the other Eevees. The first one had popped out of her ball after she was caught, preferring to walk home with her. End of flashback.

Lilly smiled. She always rotated which Eevee or two she'd bring with her, when she remembered to bring any of her friends with her. The third one tended to get into messes more often than the other two, so she'd stay at home often. But she was getting better and Lilly had a feeling that it would probably evolve soon. As for the original Eevee, she was happy with her way she was. She hoped that even if she chose to evolve, that it would be her choice.

Pikachu tossed the rubber ball back to Eevee, who caught it in her mouth. Then, she tossed it back, but he'd ducked and it landed in Lilly's closet. "It's okay, you two. I've got it." Lilly said. It didn't take her long to find it inside one of her running shoes. "Here we go." Lilly tossed the ball back to them.

"Eevee."

"You're welcome." Lilly said. Eevee brushed up against her leg before using her tail to sweep the ball back toward Pikachu's direction. He returned it by kicking it like a soccer ball, but gently. Lilly picked up one of her books and started reading while regularly glancing up to keep an eye on them.

Before long, she started to get tired and she sensed that they were, too. She went into the bathroom to change and when she returned, she went to her bed. She saw that Eevee had curled up on the cushion sitting in the corner, already having fallen asleep. She smiled, remembering when she and her mother had made it for her. Eevee seemed to love resting on soft objects, so they'd decided to make her a cushion so she wouldn't keep sleeping on the couch pillows. Then she quickly scanned the room for Pikachu. She didn't see him anywhere.

"Pikachu?" She called quietly, so she wouldn't wake Eevee. Then she noticed something yellow near her foot. She looked under her bed and saw him. "What are you doing down there?" She asked, picking him up and placing him next to her. He covered his eyes with his hands…er, paws? Then pointed to Eevee. "Oh, you were playing hide-and-seek." He nodded in response. Then he yawned.

"We all better get some rest. We're in for a long day tomorrow." Lilly said. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Pikachu curled up close to her, then fell asleep as well.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am so sorry this is late. I got busy with holiday preparations and shopping. Plus, I was suffering a lot of writer's block trying to make this chapter work. In the end, it's not what I'd had in mind, but I hope you like it.**

Lilly partially woke up in the middle of the night. Pikachu had been tossing and turning in his sleep. She looked to the side and noticed he was building up a lot of static in his sleep. "Pikachu?" She asked gently, trying not to startle him awake. Then she made the mistake of touching his back. She quickly withdrew her hand, feeling as though she'd dragged her feet across the carpet and touched the door knob. The only difference was it still stung.

"Pikachu..." She looked at him with concern. "Pikachu, wake up!"

"Pika!" He woke up with a start. He seemed a little scared, but looked slightly relieved on seeing Lilly.

"You were sparking in your sleep. Are you okay?"

"Pi." He looked down. Lilly couldn't tell if he was sad or embarrassed. She was really concerned.

"Were you having a bad dream?" He nodded slightly.

"It's okay. We all get them." Lilly said.

Pikachu glanced toward the window. It was more like a bad memory he'd been having. Parts of the dream were vague, but he could remember seeing a large metal box, a sensation of flying through the air, and then nothing. Just a huge blank. He looked back noticed that Lilly had fallen back asleep. He curled up and slept close to her, feeling somewhat better knowing she was trying to help.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows. Lilly woke up, feeling the rays of the sun touch her face. She briefly glanced around and saw that Pikachu was still asleep. Eevee was still resting in the corner. She quickly stepped into the small bathroom and changed into her clothes, then decided to add a pair of braids with two floral clips holding her hair in place.

Then she walked back to her room. Eevee had woken up and seemed to be trying to wake up Pikachu. "Oh, Eevee, you probably shouldn't…" Lilly began. Suddenly, Pikachu woke up with a start. "Sorry about that."

"Pi? Pika."

"Don't worry, we're going to help you find your friend today."

"Eevee!" Pikachu smiled, grateful. He tried to stand up, but then he collapsed. Lilly walked over and quickly checked his forehead. It felt warmer than usual.

"Oh, no. You've got a fever." Lilly said. "How could I not have noticed the signs?" She stood there for a moment, feeling upset over it. Then she felt him put his hand on top of hers. He gave her a small smile, as though to say it wasn't her fault. "Thank you."

"Eevee?" Eevee jumped onto the bed, looking at them, concern evident in her eyes. That look spurned Lilly to take action.

"Come on, we're heading to the lab. I heard he got a nurse over there." Lilly said. "She can help you get better than I can right now." Eevee tossed her Pokeball to Lilly, who caught it, startled.

"Okay, Eevee. Return!" Eevee instantly returned to her Pokeball. "I'll be back for you soon, I promise." Lilly placed Eevee's Pokeball on the table. "You ready, Pikachu?"

"Pika. Pikachu."

"I'll take that as a yes." Lilly said. "Just let me get some supplies from downstairs and we'll be on our way." Lilly quickly filled her bag with items she knew she'd need, including extra medicine and Pokemon food.

"Lilly?"

"Mom, I'm heading out." Lilly said. "We need to get to Professor Oak's lab as soon as possible. Pikachu has a fever. Other than that, he seems to be okay, but I'm really worried about him."

"Okay, be careful." Her mom said.

"Thanks, Mom." Lilly said. She grabbed her bike from the garage and placed Pikachu in the basket, then pedaled as fast as she could to the lab. They made it there in no time.

Lilly locked her bike on the rack, then took Pikachu out of the basket. "You ready?" He nodded. Then she knocked on the door. "Come in." She entered the lab, amazed by how different it looked from the last time. She didn't see the professor anywhere.

"Professor Oak?" She called.

"In the back!" She found him hunched over some kind of machine.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, just trying to get the transfer system repaired." Professor Oak said, without turning around. Then he turned and saw her. "Lilly! Why, it has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Is there a Nurse available?" Lilly asked him. "This Pikachu got hurt. He was okay before, but now he's got a fever."

"Let me take a look at him and I'll call her in." Oak told her. Lilly set him down on the table. Pikachu looked over at the professor.

"Pikachu!" Oak gently scratched him behind the ears.

"He acts like he knows you." Lilly said.

"Yes, I know." A few minutes later, Nurse Joy was examining him in a separate room, while Professor Oak spoke to Lilly.

"So, you found him trapped in some thorns, you say?"

"That's right. His injuries looked pretty bad." Lilly told him. "He rested at my house last night, but I thought a more thorough examination should be done. I noticed him sparking before he got sick, though. He appeared to be having a bad dream."

"Well, you did the right thing by bringing him in." Professor Oak told her.

"Will he be okay, Professor?" She sounded concerned. "He might not belong to me, but if something happened to him before he got back to his trainer…"

"He should be okay. Don't forget, Nurse Joy is an expert at treating all kinds of Pokémon." Professor Oak pointed out. "I'm sure whoever he belongs to will be happy you managed to take care of him." With the way he spoke, Lilly suspected something.

"You know who his trainer is, don't you?"

"There's no hiding it from you, is there?" The two of them shared a laugh. "I don't know exactly who it is, but I believe I might have an idea as to who he belongs to."

"Hmm…" Lilly said. Nurse Joy approached them.

"He seems to be in good health. Some of the injuries may take time to fade, but he's okay." She informed them. She turned to Lilly. "You really know how to take care of injured Pokémon."

"It's just common sense, really. With a little medicine and enough rest, any Pokémon should return to normal." Lilly said.

"Still, not a lot of trainers would've known to do that." Professor Oak said. "I believe you truly have a gift there, Lilly."

"Thanks, Professor." Lilly said. "So, what should I do now? I promised to reunite him with his trainer, but I know he has to recover from his fever."

"He's resting right now. I've got Chansey watching over him." Nurse Joy told her. "He should be fully healed in a few hours and we're doing all we can to bring his fever down." Lilly looked a little worried.

"How would you feel about helping me for the day?" Professor Oak asked her. "There are others that could use some taking care of around here."

"Well, I guess I could help." Lilly said. "It's not like there's anything else I can do for him."

"Come with me, Lilly." Professor Oak said. He led her out of the main lab. Lilly just knew, somehow, Pikachu would be okay.

A few moments later, she found herself in a huge field. "Whoa! Is it natural, or did you build this place?" She asked.

"A little bit of both. Some of my associates helped plant a few of the trees around here." Professor Oak told her. "Most of them prefer being outside."

"Wow. There's so many Pokémon." She noticed. "The trainers from around here are lucky to have you."

"Well, it isn't always easy." Just then, a movement caught Lilly's eye. A little Pidgey was starting to fall out of a tree. She sprinted toward it, hoping it wouldn't get seriously hurt. Suddenly, she tripped over a rock. Professor Oak ran over.

"Are you alright?"

"I've been better." Lilly said, slightly exhausted. Then she heard a chirp and opened her hands. She'd managed to catch the little Pidgey after all. "Are you okay?" She asked it.

"Gi. Pidgey."

"It's so small." Lilly said. "I think…it's a baby. No wonder it couldn't fly yet." Then she noticed a scratch mark under some feathers on its back. "Professor, you might want to look at this." He came over and looked at the mark.

"Looks like some of the bigger ones have been picking on him. Normally the other flyers try to help the little ones learn to fly, but this…"

"How some of them can be cruel to their own kind is beyond my understanding." Lilly said, then looked at the tiny bird Pokémon in her hand. "We can't just let him suffer like this."

"There's a center that helps some of the younger and more vulnerable ones. I could send him there later today." Lilly nodded, then turned back to the little Pidgey.

"Don't worry. You'll be safe. We'll make sure they don't hurt you again." Lilly said. The Pidgey hopped up her arm and onto her shoulder.

A few hours later, she was setting out food for the other Pokemon. She had already fed small seeds to the baby Pidgey, as instructed by the Professor. She had also used a potion to help heal its back. Now, it was sleeping peacefully on her shoulder. She moved carefully so she wouldn't disturb his rest.

She was filling some food bowls near the river and noticed a Squirtle looking at her. It seemed to be curious and walked a little closer. In fact, a little too close. It bumped into her leg.

"Hey there." She said. "I'm just helping out for today. I can see that you're well taken care of."

"Squirtle!" It sounded pleased to hear that.

A little while later, she was sitting under a nearby tree, watching the other Pokémon. Squirtle had walked over to her. "Hey, what are you doing over here? Wouldn't you rather be with your friends over there?" She asked. It shook its head. Then she realized it was checking in on her. "Whichever trainer picks you will definitely have a friend for life, if you don't already belong to someone."

"Squirtle!" Lilly ran her hand over his head.

"You seem to be good with water Pokémon." Professor Oak said, walking over to her.

"Well, you would know." Lilly said. "Is it a new starter?"

"It is. There's a new trainer stopping by in a few days and I wanted to be prepared." Professor Oak said.

"He reminds me of Crystal." She said. "It's been a while since I'd dropped her off. I hope she doesn't hate me when I go to pick her up."

"I'm sure she won't. She's one of the most gentle ones you have." Professor Oak said. Just then, Nurse Joy ran over.

"There you are." Nurse Joy said. "Pikachu's just woken up. He seems to be doing okay, but he still looks really exhausted."

"Would it be okay if I stayed overnight?" Lilly asked. "I don't feel right leaving him behind, especially since it's someone else's Pokémon."

"I have an extra room you can use."

"Thank you." Lilly said. "Nurse Joy, is it okay if I see him?"

"Of course."

 **A/N: Okay, the ending could've been better, but I plan to continue writing the second part of this chapter. I hope to have it up in a couple of weeks, if not sooner.**


End file.
